EAST SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- The Village of East Syracuse has received a Green Innovation Grant from the CNY Regional Economic Development Council.

The $279,000 grant will be used to disconnect downspouts from several large buildings to redirect the water into rain gardens.

The grant is part of a $2.8 million project that will improve the village's sanitary sewer system and prevent raw sewage overflows.

Officials from the village say the grant will play a big role in helping to improve the quality of life for the residents of East Syracuse.

"We have the lowest median income in Onondaga County. A very poor village. This is really going to provide the means to pay for something that's very, very necessary. We haven't had the resources to do it in the past and now we have those resources," said East Syracuse Mayor Daniel Liedka.

The project is also expected to create up to 10 construction jobs in the area.